The present invention relates generally to a protector cap for use in an automotive vehicle and more particularly, to a cap for a bolt for mounting an anchor of a seat belt.
A protector cap for use in an automotive vehicle is Disclosed, for example, in JP-U 1-89258 This protector cap can cover a head of a mounting bolt of metallic material which is engaged with a weld nut fixed on an underside of an adjuster plate as a vehicular body member, which is vertically movably supported with respect to a shoulder adjuster supported to a center pillar.
The mounting bolt serves to mount to the adjuster plate an anchor of a through ring of a seat belt.
The protector cap is formed in a shape to enclose, together with a part of the anchor, the head of the mounting bolt on the three sides thereof. The protector cap has a claw formed in an upper portion to be engaged with an opening of the adjuster plate, and a cross-shaped rib arranged to protrude from a back to abut on a flat portion of the head of the mounting bolt, preventing the protector cap from being dented.
As for the known protector cap for use in an automotive vehicle, however, if there is a great clearance between the back of the protector cap and the flat portion of the head of the mounting bolt, a protrusion amount of the rib arranged to protrude from the back of the protector cap becomes greater, so that. a depression or sinking can be produced on a surface of the protector cap due to a liquid resin flowing to the rib upon molding of the protector cap.
Moreover, when engaging the claw with the opening of the adjuster plate, a worker cannot see the claw since it is formed on the back of the protector cap, and depends on any guide, so that he can break off the claw by applying an excessive load thereto by striking, etc. Further, since there is no positioning with respect to the head of the mounting bolt when the rib arranged on the back of the protector cap abuts on the flat portion of the head of the mounting bolt, the protector cap may suffer an unsteadiness, and a positional displacement in the vertical and longitudinal directions, resulting in a degradation of the commercial value in view of the mounting rigidity.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a protector cap for use in an automotive vehicle, which is free from a sinking on the surface of the protector cap and ensures a firm mounting of the protector cap with respect to the head of the mounting bolt, and an improvement in the mounting efficiency of the protector cap.